Roots
by conspicuously-empty
Summary: Charlotte Sullivan looks amazing with any hair color. To celebrate that fact I wrote a fic in which Gail dyes her hair. Enjoy.


Gail sat on the kitchen island dangling her feet. Eating a disgustingly healthy apple, she watched Holly unpack their groceries. Sighing Holly closed the fridge and wiped her hands on her jeans. Leaning against fridge she observed Gail taking big bites out of her apple. Gail in turn watched Holly looking at her. She cocked an eyebrow. There was one paper bag left. Holly waited to see if Gail would take it upstairs and put away their bathroom essentials. It was a silly shopping ritual of theirs. They played a series of wordless staring games. Each round decided if Gail gets to buy more than two bags of treats, if Holly gets to buy the "gross organic stuff"or who does the carrying and unpacking... Today Holly had won the organic grocery round but lost the unpacking match. It was down to that one last bag. The air between them was rich with tension. Holly returned Gail's raised eyebrows, she refused to look away. Gail gave her a toothy grin and with a minuscule shrug conceded. She jumped off the counter then slowly sauntered to Holly and leaned into her. Holly closed her eyes, relishing in her win, she expected a kiss. Hearing the lid of the trash can fall close she opened her eyes and could do nothing but watch the retreating back of one Gail Peck. She also couldn't help the smile taking over her face. So much for winning.

Holly stashed the empty paper bags with the billions that had accumulated over the last months. They usually forgot to bring them to the store and got new ones every time they went shopping. Gail yelled from upstairs. "Lunchbox? You coming?". Holly's smile grew wider. Her girlfriend was oh so gracefully demanding her presence. She refused to shout back and slowly ascended the stairs. The sight that greeted her upon opening the bathroom door was as always magnificent. She would never tire of seeing Gail in any state of undress. She had changed in loose fitting shorts and only a towel was draped over her shoulders. Gail's eyes studied Holly's facial expressions. They ranged from surprise to awe and all of them spoke of adoration and appreciation. "Not that I don't enjoy you looking at me, but how about we get this show on the road? You can do some gawking later." Holly wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed that Gail had caught her ogling. "Well then. Let's get started." Gail held out the paper bag to Holly and rummaged for a comb. Holly went through the bag – unpacking was still Gail's task -, when she got to the box they needed, she frowned in surprise. She held it up, "Gail? Honey? The hair dye says 'Dark Mahogany'." Gail took it from her to check the box's content. "Yeah, I know. I thought about going green but figured it would clash with the uniform." Squeezing the coloring cream from the tube into the bottle she added "I also didn't want to be the Luigi to Chloe's Mario." Holly chuckled and took the applicator bottle from Gail to shake it. "Well, your mom did tell you to take care of your roots." With a mischievous smile she asked, "Want to make a mess in the bathtub again?" Gail gave Holly a quick kiss, climbed into the tub and tried to find a comfortable position. Holly settled behind her. "Last time I we sat like this I got to see your pretty face." Gail laughed. Over her shoulder, she said "Last time I was drunk out of my face and had chopped off all my hair. Do you really want to repeat Hair-Gate?"

Holly shook her head. "Let's not." She pulled Gail closer to her and started running her fingers through the silkiest hair. A comfortable silence fell between them. Gail wanted to purr under Holly's administrations. Her eyes closed on their own accord. Combing through the silky strands before her Holly contemplated where to start. She had never dyed someone's hair before. Gail had insisted to not waste money on a stranger if she can pick the color herself and had an "incredible girlfriend with a PhD in Gail hair" at home. Gail, the sweet talker, got what she wanted. And now Holly found herself in a predicament. Gail waited a couple of minutes. She enjoyed the head massage but according to the instruction they were not part of the dyeing process. A soft voice asked, "Lunchbox? What are you doing?" Holly's answer carried as much bravado as she could muster, "I am enjoying myself." It came out more a question than an answer. After a second she admitted, "I want to lull you to sleep and give a healthy dose of false sense of security." She sighed "I have no idea what I am doing." A tiny laugh reached Gail's ear. Gail's head tilted to the side obviously musing. Holly disliked being in this position at the disadvantage of not seeing Gail's face to read it. Gail amused by the uncertainty in Holly's voice leaned into the hand resting at the nape of her neck. "I don't think you can do much wrong. Besides, if it does go pair-shaped Elaine will be even more annoyed. So this is a win win situation. Do whatever the instructions say and your instinct tells you. It's not rocket science." She chuckled, "I guess this might be too easy for you." Holly relaxed. Gail had a point. If anything went wrong there was always the option to visit a professional. Before she began Holly made good use of her position. Small kisses, some open mouthed, were bestowed on Gail's neck and shoulders. They only stopped when a falling towel reminded them of the task at hand. Gail steadied her breathing and reached behind her to squeeze Holly's ankle. Holly proved surprisingly adept and finished applying the dye fairly quickly. She climbed out of the tub to check her watch. "Now we wait." Gail groaned, "How long?" Holly smirked at Gail's impatience. "Twenty minutes. What do you want to do in the meantime?" Gail gave Holly her own brand of smirk her eyes running suggestively over Holly's body. Holly was quick to protest, "Na uh. I am not coming near you with all that stuff in your hair and the funny smell." Gail's shoulders fell but she knew there was no way they could safely fool around. Holly took a seat in front of the tub. Propped up against the cabinet she suggested they talk abut their day. Gail rolled her eyes. She wished they could do something more fun but appreciated the quiet time they had together. "Oh, you're gonna love this story. I certainly didn't stop laughing for maybe an hour." With a wicked gleam in her eyes she told an increasingly amused Holly the entertaining story of Chloe's encounter with a creepy clown that day.


End file.
